Jonathan,
It's not that critical. Get a chain brush and some cleaner like Kerosene or Orange Blast and go a around a few times. then wipe a couple of times. Cleaning with Q-tips and a tooth brush is a total waste of time. Right after you clean your going to lube anyway. You just want to keep most of the gunk under control. You'll end up hating your bike if you keep cleaning it like that. You don't want to remove you chain to clean becasue you'll weaken it and it's a waste of time.
